Neka
by ElvishJedi1
Summary: Neka is a Jedi padawan who finds herself crashed on Middle-earth. She joins the hobbits on their journey to Rivendell and later joins the Fellowship. Based mostly off the books. Rated T for possible violence in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Sorry this is so short. The chapters will normally be longer. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or Star Wars but I do own my OC and story changes.**_

**Prologue**

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_

I was back out in my Starfighter. Just another day of fighting. Perfect.

"Neka," My master's voice came over speakers. "Get your fighters around the planet and attack from the behind."

"On it master," I replied. Then after pressing a few buttons. "Green Troopers follow me around the planet." This was followed by various consents.

Pulling out of the battle I could see that at the moment neither side was really getting the better than the other and how an attack from behind would give us the advantage we needed to win the battle.

I swung around and headed toward the planet away from the battle my troopers close behind, blasting a few droids while drawing out of the battle.

Rounding around the planet I came across something rather odd. It was a glowing ring shining all the colors of the rainbow. It was interesting but we had a battle to win so I told the troopers to leave it and that I would come back to investigate it later.

The battle was a complete victory. While the clones were taking out the last of the droids and delivering supplies to the planet below I decided to investigate the ring I had found during the battle.

It was exactly the way I had found it. I was about to go back and report it, but I decided to try and look at it from the inside. I flew through it and blacked out.


	2. How it Begins

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything except the my OC and story changes. **_

_**From now on will probably be updating this one about once a week if I have the next chapter written.**_

**Chapter One: How it Begins**

I woke up in a crashed Starfighter. From what I could tell the engine would not be working anytime soon, possibly never and if I didn't find another ship I might be stuck here for a while. I pressed the hatch button but the hatch would not open. I sighed, I would have rather not have caused more damage to the ship. Reaching for my lightsaber, I realized that it wasn't there.

Instead I found what most would have described as a very long knife that was sharpened on both sides, but me being the bookworm that I am knew what it was, a sword or to some a saber. Yes that is where the name lightsaber came from. From what I had read when the Jedi had just started out, which was before space travel was considered normal and before they had discovered the crystals we used to power our lightsabers they had used weapons almost identical to the one I was holding. Sorry if I sound like a nerd but that was who I am.

Sliding it out of its, what's the right word, scabbard I thought I might as well give it a try. I stabbed it through the roof with ease and managed to cut a circle out of it. I decided it would have to do.

Leaping out I found myself in a clearing surrounded by forest. Strangely enough though, the trees seemed unaffected by the crash. I tried to recall what had happened and figure out where I was, when all the sudden my thoughts were interrupted some loud shouting.

"Help! Help! Help!" a voice shouted not too far off. I quickly decided that my Starfighter would have to wait, someone was trouble. After grabbing my survival pack I raced off toward the direction of the calling.

I quickly came upon path and at first glance I saw a couple kids one of which was running around franticly yelling for help, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong. While trying to take in my surroundings I heard some singing in the distance. They also appeared to have heard it because they now were standing still listening.

_Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! My darling!_

_Light goes the weather-wind and the feathered starling._

_Down along under Hill, shining in the sunlight,_

_Waiting on the doorstep for the cold starlight, _

_There my pretty lady is, River-woman's daughter,_

_Slender as the willow-wand, clearer than the water._

_Old Tom Bombadil water-lilies bringing_

_Comes hopping home again. Can you hear him singing?_

_Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! and merry-o,_

_Goldberry, Goldberry, merry yellow berry-o!_

_Poor old Willow-man, you tuck your roots away!_

_Tom's in a hurry now. Evening will follow day._

_Tom's going home again water-lilies bringing._

_Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?_

Nonsense really but I had heard weirder stuff before so I wasn't surprised by any means. The owner of the voice came around the corner and I got a good view of him from my spot. He was almost certainly human though a bit short, he had on big yellow boots, along with an old hat that had a blue feather stuck in it. His eyes were bright blue and his beard was long and brown. In his hands he was carrying a large leaf containing a small pile of white flowers.

The two that had stopped to listen now ran to him asking for help.

"Whoa! Whoa! Steady there!" cried the man putting up one hand. After they had stopped, he continued. "Now, my little fellows, where be you a-going to, puffing like a bellows? What's the matter here then? Do you know who I am? I'm Tom Bombadil. Tell me what's your trouble! Tom's in a hurry now. Don't you crush my lilies!"

"My friends are caught in the willow-tree," cried the one who I had heard yelling earlier.

"Master Merry's being squeezed in a crack!" The other one cried.

Looking over to the willow-tree I noticed for the first time a pair of legs sticking out among the roots. Leaning over for I better look I lost my balance and ended up falling from my perch on to the path. I am usually more balanced than that but you have to remember that I was unconscious a few minutes before.

Tom Bombadil took almost no notice of me while he set down his flowers and rushed over to the tree. But the other two were clearly startled, but quickly turned their attention back their friend. The legs were now kicking.

Tom now jumped back, picked up a branch, and hit the tree with it saying. "You let them out again, Old Man Willow! What be you a-thinking of? You should not be waking. Eat Earth! Drink water! Go to sleep! Bombadil is talking!" He then seized the legs and drew out another child sized figure. There was a terrible creaking sound and then out popped a fourth person. Then complete silence fell.

"Thank you," all four of them exclaimed.

He burst out laughing. "Well, my little fellows!" he said stopping down to look at them. "You shall come home with me! The table is all laden with yellow cream, honeycomb, and white bread and butter. Goldberry is waiting. Time enough for questions around the supper table. You follow after me as quick as you are able. You too lady!" he said for the first time appearing to notice me. With that he picked up his flowers and with a wave went off along the path, singing nonsense again.

He ran off and I chased after him. After all he did say to follow as quick as I was able. I stayed just behind him and the other four were quickly left behind. I finally came to a spot where the path became clear and nicely kept and went up and down on a smooth hillside. I quickened my pace and soon I was at the house of Tom Bombadil.

Soon after the other four came along and Tom started singing again.

_Hey! Come derry dol! Hop along, my hearties!_

_Hobbit's! Ponies all! We are found of parties._

_Now let the fun begin! Let us sing together_

Then another voice started to sing I turned and found that it was Goldberry.

_Now let the song begin! Let us sing together_

_Of sun, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather,_

_Light on the open hill, bells on the heather,_

_Reeds by the shady pool, lilies on the water:_

_Old Tom Bombadil and the River-daughter!_

As the singing went on the four came inside.

_**So if you are reading this please review. thank you to jj12 for your support.**_


	3. At the House of Tom Bombadil

**Chapter Two: At The House of Tom Bombadil **

The four stood in the door blinking in the light.

Now I suppose I must now describe Goldberry though there's not much I can say. She has long wavy golden hair and pale-blue eyes. She had on a bright green dress that was streaked with silver and she wore a belt of golden flowers. She was surrounded by brown and green clay pot that where filled with water and white flowers.

"Enter, good guests!" she called to them, just as she had done for me. But unlike me they walked in slowly and timidly. Laughing she leapt over the pots and ran over to them, taking one of their hands and shutting the door behind them. "Come dear folk!" she continued. "Laugh and be merry! I am Goldberry, daughter of the river." To this day I still don't understand how someone can be the daughter of a river, but oh well.

They talked for some time about Tom being the master of the wood, water, and hill but not owning it if that makes any sense to you because it sure didn't to me. Then finally Tom came back in asking if dinner was ready.

"It is," Goldberry responded. "but the guests perhaps are not."

Tom clapped his hands and exclaimed. "Tom, Tom! Your guests are tired, and you have nearly forgotten! Come now, my merry friends, and Tom will refresh you! You shall clean grimy hands, and wash weary faces; cast off your muddy cloaks and comb out your tangles!"

He led us through a door and into a passage way and round a turn. We stopped at a room and he ushered the other four in. After that he led me into another room. Put on one of those dresses," He whispered to me. "Goldberry insists" He winked and then turned and left.

As soon as he was gone I shut the door, slumped onto the mattress, and sighed. I was a nice little room with stone walls and windows covered with curtains. On the opposite side of the room was a wooden table covered with a few clay basins filled with water, and various combs and such. And hanging on the wall by a hook was two lovely dresses.

I quickly washed up and changed into a sky blue one. I undid the hasty braid I had put my hair up into this morning and brushed it out. My hair was pitch black in color and was wavy from being put in a braid practically every day. I decided to leave it down something I almost never do, thanks to the fact that I fighting all the time and long hair can make a lot of things more dangerous, and stuck in it a simple clip with a bird on it that matched the dress I was wearing. I also switched from my boots to the soft green slippers that were lying next to the mattress.

Then I sat down to think. From what I had seen so far there was no space ship anywhere near by at all and the Starfighter was practically beyond repair, so I may very well be stuck here for I quite some time. I also decided that I might as well stay where I was for tonight and see what I can about this place, plus I wasn't sure if I could even find my way back to my Starfighter.

A while later I came back out to the main room and sat down for dinner(or supper as they called it).

It was a lovely meal and between bites of this and that I came to know them rather well. They turned out not to be children but hobbits. There was Frodo Baggins the oldest of group and the apparent leader though he didn't say much, Sam Gamgee who said that he was Frodo's gardener, and then there was Merry(real name is Meriadoc) Brandybuck and Pippin(Peregrin) Took who were the more talkative of the group. They were surprised to find that I was only seventeen. I could hardly believe how much food they managed to eat, but thankfully we didn't run out.

When we had finally all had our fill of the wonderful food Tom and Goldberry rose and quickly cleared the table. Goldberry then led me back to my room and told me to go to sleep. And then quickly left and went back to the others.

As soon as she was gone I took the clip out of my hair, took of the slippers and flopped down on the bed. I tried to figure out once again what had happened and at once remembered the rainbow ring. Nothing had happened while I had flown around it but once I went through it… Then I was confused I remembered starting to go through the ring then blank the next thing I remembered was waking up in a crashed Starfighter.

I had found out a lot today. I was in a world called Middle-Earth, but more precisely in a forest just outside a place called the Shire where hobbits lived. I had found out what a hobbit is and had met four very nice ones. And other random bits of info including that this world did not do space travel so I may be stuck here for a while. I tried my best to stay awake but finally I simply fell asleep I had been and unusual and long day.

ᶝ

I knew it was a dream but it felt so real I may as well have been real life. I was standing next to a stream and someone came to me.

"Who are you?" I called across the stream to her.

"I am Aris your guide," She told me. "you have been chosen."

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

"To be a reality jumper, someone who journeys to different universes to do missions. You will not be able to return to your own universe until the mission has been completed."

"Then what is my mission?"

"That is for you to discover. Trust your instincts. I can only tell you this much. Join the hobbits on their journey for they may yet have need of your protection. Though be warned one of them carries a dangerous weapon that must never be used. It is a ring and it is the point of their journey. Once you leave this forest _Do Not _let any of them use it or let him give it to any one for even a short time. Try not to mention where you are from to anyone if you must say you are from the old forest all except Tom will believe you and he already knows about you." She went on to explain a few other things though she could not answer all of my questions. Finally she handed me a bow and arrows and a new outfit she said would do me well once I left this house and told me good-bye.

ᶝ

The next morning I woke up to a pale light shining through the curtains on the window. I got quickly remembering where I was and started to braid my hair. As I was in no rush today I did it carefully to make it look nice, and twisted it into a bun. Looking around the room I saw my sword resting against the wall next to the bow and arrows I had been given in my dream along with a bag. I slipped my boots back on and went out to the main rooms.

In four chairs placed in front of the fire place I found four hobbits sound asleep. I went by them quietly and went to the table we had eaten dinner at the night before. Where I saw Tom seated at eating. He motioned for me to join him.

"You planning on joining the hobbits on their journey?" He asked quietly.

"Well that's what I was told to do." I answered.

He smiled. "Well I'll make sure those guides get your transport fixed up for your return. Now I suppose you'll want some breakfast." When I nodded he leapt up and before I knew it I had a steaming plate of food in front of me. While I ate Tom hurried around the kitchen probably preparing food for the hobbits and I listened to the sound of Goldberry singing outside.

As soon as I was done, I ran over to the window and found Goldberry outside and she waved. "Come join me Neka," she called out. "Leave the men to their tales." With that I ran outside and into the rain.

We had a wonderful time outside splashing each other. While we washed she sang many songs and before I knew it I was singing along with her. We were both soaking wet, but that didn't seem to matter. She was now dressed in silver.

Then toward evening it stopped raining and we returned to the house. As we enter the house she informed them. "The rain has ended and new waters are running downhill, under the stars. Let us now laugh and be glad!"

Why she did she not just say 'it stopped raining'? No clue but once again oh well.

We all sat around the table while Tom and Goldberry served us. Goldberry as graceful as ever and Tom with is odd ways somehow managed to move around each other with such speed but yet never got in each other's way. I was amazed and the hobbits for some reason started to laugh.

The dinner was even better than the one the night before. It was so good and we were all so hungry that at first we ate in silence. But soon everyone was talking and laughing.

After dinner Goldberry sang many songs and I joined in with a few she had taught me. After a while she stopped and Tom started peppering the hobbits with questions while in turn answering theirs. I paid close attention and learned a great deal more about hobbits. And I got my answers to the questions which my guide had refused to answer.

All the sudden in the middle of the story Tom interrupted saying, "Show me the precious Ring!" Frodo took out the ring and handed it to him. I was now very interested Aris had told me very little about this ring but what she had told me went along the lines of it is very important and that it is the reason for the hobbits' journey but that's about it.

Tom put the ring on and all the hobbits gasped.

"What?" I asked confused.

"He didn't disappear!" Pippin cried. "He should have disappeared. That's what the ring does." I was still confused but made sure that it didn't show. After all Aris had said it was a dangerous weapon.

Tom laughed spun the ring in the air and then made _it _disappear. Now everyone gasped including me and Frodo cried out. Then Tom leaned forward and handed the ring back to Frodo. When Frodo got the ring back he examined it closely and then we went back to talking.

Tom started to tell a bizarre story about badgers when Merry suddenly shouted. I turned and found to my surprise that Frodo was no longer in his seat or anywhere in the room for that matter.

"Hey there!" Tom cried all the sudden looking toward the door. I looked that way, at first I didn't see anything but looking closer I could almost see a shiny form and realized that must be Frodo apparently the hobbits could not see him and realized that it must be because I'm a Jedi that I can see him. "Hey!" Tom continued. "Come Frodo, there! Where be you a-going? Old Tom Bombadil's not as blind as that yet. Take off your golden ring! Your hand's more fair without it. Come back! Leave your game and sit down beside me! We must talk a while more, and think about the morning. Tom must teach the right road, and keep your feet from wandering."

Frodo laughed, slipping off the ring and sat back down in his seat. Tom told us that he guessed tomorrow would be sunny but to start early as the weather was very unpredictable. After some discussion Tom finally convinced the four hobbits to make me officially a member of their group. After all I already knew them rather well, about the Ring and I could fight which was something they really couldn't do. Tom then taught us rhyme that we should sing if we got into trouble the next day.

_Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo!_

_By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow,_

_By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us!_

_Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!_

After we sang this all together he led us back to our rooms and wished us a good night.


	4. Lost and Found

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and any story changes**_

**Chapter Three: How I Lost My New Friends at the Barrow-Downs**

That night I had no dreams and in the morning I woke to the sound of Tom whistling outside to the birds. For a second I thought I was back in the Jedi Temple, but that made no sense.

Gazing around the room I remembered were I was and rolled off the bed, literally. I had started this tradition when I was a youngling and took a dare to roll off my bed every morning for a whole standard month and it stuck. So now it was practically instinctual. Stupid, possibility, but I had gotten pretty good at it.

I changed into the outfit that I found in the bag next to my bow. It was very similar to the Jedi robes but a bit simpler. It was definitely the same material but instead of obnoxious robes it was a simple dress that cut off right above the knee and pants. In the bag was another set of clothes identical to the one I was wearing only the material was thicker and the dress had long sleeves obviously meant for colder weather. There was also a dark brown cloak which I quickly clipped over my quiver of arrows, which after a several minutes of messing around with I realized that it was meant to be strapped across my back and not worn as I belt.

After putting my hair into a side braid I went out to find breakfast.

There was no sign of Tom or Goldberry when I came out to breakfast, but the four hobbits cheerfully made room for me at the table. When we we're nearly finished Tom came in and brought us outside. While the hobbits got their ponies ready Tom led me into the barn and showed me what he called a horse. It was a little bigger than the ponies and was a glossy black.

"Sorry about not having a saddle for her," Tom said as I examined the creature. "But I'm pretty sure you can manage. Ever ridden a horse before?"

"No," I responded. "But it can't be any harder than riding a rancor."(I have actually done this and would rather not ever have to again.)

He gave me a confused look and began to ask. "A what?"

"Never mind it's irrelevant"

A few minutes later we set out. All four hobbits were riding a ponies and a fifth one was carrying the luggage.

A little while later when we had dismounted to lead our ponies/horse up a particularly steep slope when for some reason Frodo all the sudden stopped. "Goldberry!" He cried. "My fair lady, all clad in silver green! We have never said farewell to her, nor seen her since the evening!"

A moment later I heard a voice calling from overhead. Looking up I saw Goldberry standing at the top of the hill and smiled. We would not be leaving without saying good-bye after all. We quickened our pace and in no time we were up right next to her.

As soon as we reached the top she motioned for us to look around. I gasped I had seen many wonderful views while traveling across the galaxy but very few of them could even compare to this. For once in a very long time the view was not over whelmed by droid and clone armies and the sky was free of smoke and ships, so that I could simply enjoy the view instead of coming up with battle strategies.

All too soon Goldberry told us it was time to go. "Speed now, fair guests!" she said. "And hold to your purpose! North with the wind in the left eye and a blessing on your footsteps! Make haste while the Sun shines!" She then turned to Frodo and said to him. "Farewell, Elf-friend, it was a merry meeting!"

With that we all remounted our steeds and slowly traveled down the hill and away from Tom Bombadil's house. Soon the Forest was out of sight and when we reached the bottom of the hill we looked back and saw that Goldberry was still on the hilltop. She reached her hands out to us and gave a loud cry. I waved back and with that she vanished behind the hill.

The rest of the morning went by quite uneventfully as we rode amongst the hills. Though nowhere near as fast as speeders our steeds slowly but surely began to eat up the distance. We were content for the most part ride in silence.

Towards midday we came to a hill which's top fell in like a spoon.

Standing on the rim Merry pointed out to us a dark line along the horizon. 'That is a line of trees," Merry said. "and that must mark the road. All along it for many leagues east of the bridge there are trees growing. Some say they were planted in the old days."

"Splendid!" said Frodo. "If we make as good going this afternoon as we have done this morning, we shall have left the Downs before sunsets and be jogging on in search of a camping place." That sounded good to me from what I had heard about the Barrow-down I would rather not have to sleep there for even one night.

After quickly finishing my lunch the hobbits were still eating and the ponies looked like they were enjoying a well-earned rest. So I decided to have a look around from below after all four happy eating hobbit can make quite a racket and it was starting to get on my nerves. I told them that I was going to look around to hill for a few minutes and they all nodded so I deduced that it would be ok, slung my survival pack over my shoulder, and headed down.

ᶝ

A few hours I was stuck in the middle of a sea of fog. I had somehow lost track of time and before I knew it the fog was so thick that if I stuck my sword straight out in front of me it was impossible to see where it ended. Without a clear idea of which direction exactly the hobbits were in I decided to stay where I was for the night and try to find them in the morning. Hopefully by then the fog would have cleared.

I was then glad I had chosen to take my pack with me because I was hungry and the pack also contained a small tent. After setting up the tent and having a small dinner I went to sleep. There would be plenty of time in the morning to search for missing hobbits, but so much for reaching the road by sun down.

ᶝ

As soon as I woke up I knew something was wrong. I hastily packed up my stuff without even stopping to eat breakfast. Now that the fog had cleared I had a pretty good idea where I had left the hobbits and headed off in that direction. Positive that something bad had happened to the hobbits while I was gone I hoped I would get there before it was too late

I had only gone around one hill however when I found Midnight quietly grazing. She whinnied when she noticed me and trotted over to me.

"Glad to see you to," I told her as I got on her back. "Now let's go." She did go, only not in the direction I had pointed her in. "Midnight, what are you doing?" I exclaimed while trying to stop her. But she paid no attention to me and pick up her pace. I had no choice but to hold on.

Shortly after I caught sight of Tom and I gave a short sigh of relief. I noticed that the ponies were also running towards him.

As soon as I reached him he smiled and said. "And where did you go to?"

"Got lost," I answered him.

"Well don't do that again too soon. They will need you nearby when they walk into trouble next time."

"I try not to." He nodded and went down the hill to where the hobbits were waiting.

As it turned out Tom had decided to stay with us until we reach the border of his land so that he would not have to worry about us continuously getting into trouble. We were all delighted by the news and the hobbits thanked him many times over for it.

It also turned out that the road was a good deal further away than we had initially thought and we reached it just as the sun began to set in the distance.

"Well here we are at last!" Frodo said when we had finally reached the road. "I suppose we haven't lost more than two days by my short cut through the forest! But perhaps the delay will prove useful. It may have put them off our trail."

I looked at the four of them and for the first time started to understand how difficult this task was really going to be. The Barrow-downs had only been a taste of the real danger that was hunting these hobbits down. Tom was right I would have to stay nearby and be on alert at all times if they were even going to have a chance at getting to Rivendell safely. There would be no master this time to make sure everything goes according to plan. I was on my own.

They all begged him to come with us but I already knew what his response was going to be so I didn't bother, no.

_Tom's country ends here: he will not pass the borders. _

_ Tom has his house to mind, and Goldberry is waiting!_

He responded to their pleadings. He did however give us some advice. "Four miles along the road you'll come upon a village, Bree under Bree-hill, with the doors looking westward. There you'll find an old inn that is called _The Prancing Pony_. Barliman Butterbur is the worthy keeper. There you can stay the night, and afterwards the morning will speed you upon your way. Be bold, but wary! Keep up your merry hearts, and ride to meet your fortune!"

Then he turned and walked away and we looked after him until he disappeared into the distance.

As soon as he was gone I turned to the hobbits and said. "Well we had better get going as it is we'll get there after night fall and it looks like rain." They all agreed that it would be best to get there as soon as possible and we remounted.

After a few seconds Sam started talking. "I am sorry to take leave of Master Bombadil," He said. "He's a caution and no mistake. I reckon we may go a good deal further and see naught better, nor queerer. But I won't deny I'll be glad to see this _Prancing Pony_ he spoke of. I hope it'll be like _The Green Dragon _away back home! What sort of folk are they in Bree?"

"There are hobbits in Bree," Merry responded. "as well as Big Folk. I daresay it will be homelike enough. _The Pony _is a good inn by all accounts. My people ride out there now and again."

"What exactly are big folk?" I asked rather confused.

"People just like yourself who are about twice as tall as us," Merry responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I took this to mean humans.

"Well," Frodo began. "It may be all we could wish for, but it is still outside the Shire all the same. Don't make yourselves too much at home! Please remember –all of you- that the name of Baggins must not be mentioned. I am Mr. Underhill, if any name must be given."

"Shhhh," I said interrupting him. "If you don't want people to hear your name, than do not say it. Let's just hope no one overheard you." And with that we hurried down the road towards Bree.

3rd person

Just behind the hedge on the side of the road the four hobbits and the girl had just past a man sat smiling grimly. It had been foolish of Mr. Baggins to have spoken his name out loud like he had, he thought, but at least one of his companions had enough sense to hopefully keep them alive, but it was always best to be safe. Besides he was very interested in whom this girl was. Gandalf had never mentioned her to him before.

_**If you can not figure out who the man is I feel very sorry for. **_

_**Anyway please review and thank you to jj12 and The Hobbit for reviewing.**_


	5. The Prancing Pony

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC and story changes**_

**Chapter Four: The Prancing Pony**

It was dark by the time we reached Bree. As we came to the gate we found it shut, but almost immediately after making this discovery a man popped up over the gate holding a lantern.

"What do you want, and where do you come from?" He asked in a rather loud voice.

"We are making for the inn," Frodo told him. "We can't go any further tonight." And so followed a conversation inquiring what we were doing and such. Finally I got so annoyed I use a little gentle force persuasion to get him to let us in and leave us alone.

As we started walking toward the inn, I sensed someone else was behind us and whirled around, just in time to see a figure slip into the shadows.

"What is it?" The Pippin asked noticing my sudden movement.

"Oh nothing," I told him turning back around. I didn't want to worry the hobbits any more than they already were and besides I didn't sense anything bad about the person just that he was there, hopefully it wasn't anything.

After we passed a few houses, we came to the inn. It was a pretty basic three story building. Hanging just above the open door was a sign that read _THE PRANCING PONY _in white painted letters.

They hesitated for a moment and then as a song started up we walked up to the door leaving our mounts outside. As we came in Frodo nearly ran into someone who turned out to be Barliman Butterbur the owner of the inn. I let Frodo handle the getting us arranged and took a look around the room.

Shortly after, we were led down the hall and into a hobbit sized room. For once they were not dwarfed by their surrounding but I had to duck just to get through the door. Oh well at least the hobbits weren't driving me nuts, but this inn-keeper was with his constant talking.

"If you want anything, ring the hand-bell, and Nob will come," Butterbur told us right before leaving. "If he don't come, ring and shout."

"Quite a talker isn't he," I said as soon as he was gone. For it was true it seemed as if he hadn't stopped talking even to breath while he was with us.

Looking round we found ourselves in a small cozy room. In the middle of the room were a table and chairs and a hand-bell. However, before any of us rang it a hobbit, whose name was apparently Nob, came bustling in, with a tray full of plates which he laid out on the table.

"Will you be wanting anything to drink?" He asked us. "And shall I show you the bedrooms, while your supper is got ready?"

He showed us around and then after washing up, we all sat down around the table. The hobbits insisted that I try a dark brown drink that they called beer, telling me it was very good. I took one sip and almost spat it back out again. I didn't know what was in it but it definitely did not agree with me. The hobbits seemed amused by the face I made.

"If you're not going to drink that," Merry said. "Then do you mind if I do?"

'Hey!" Pippin interrupted. "I was about for ask for it."

Rolling my eyes I slid the mug across the table towards them.

Soon Barliman arrived with dinner. It was plain and simple but that seemed to suite the hobbits just right especially Sam and it was good food. Except for the cheese, the cheese was just weird so I skipped it.

After a little bit, Barliman asked us if we would like to join the others in the main room. "I don't know whether you would care to join the company when you have eaten." He told us standing at the door just before he left. "Perhaps you would rather go to bed. Still the company would be very pleased to meet you, if you had the mind. Ring the bell if you lack anything!"

After finishing dinner over half an hour later, Sam, Frodo, and Pippin decided to go join the "company" as they said. Merry insisted that it would be too stuffy and said that he would stay in the room and then perhaps go outside of a bit. I decided to go with the three hobbits and make sure they stayed out of trouble but chose not to tell them so I could observe this place unnoticed.

"Do me a favor and stay out of trouble," I told Merry right before I slipped out after the other hobbits.

The Company gathered in the main room was a mixture of dwarfs, men and hobbits. There was a few lamps surrounded by smoke but most of the light came from a fire in the fire-place.

As soon as the hobbits came in they were loudly welcomed by the people from Bree. While they were the center of attention with my hood slipped over my head I slipped into a shadowy corner unnoticed, but having a clear view of practically the whole room.

Soon everyone was asking the hobbits questions and Frodo said that they were writing a book, I rolled my eyes at that, and soon everyone was shouting about one thing or another for Frodo to put in his book, until Frodo made it clear that he would not be writing it on the spot.

After that the Bree-people, I guess you could call them, started to ask them questions about the Shire. Sam and Pippin appeared to enjoy telling a story about something called the _Michel Delving _and nobody seemed to notice that Frodo slipping out of the conversation.

Trusting that the ridiculous story Sam and Pippin was telling would do no harm (probably not my best plan) I turned my attention to Frodo who by that time was walking over to a strange looking man in a corner. With a start I realized that he was the same person that I had sensed behind us earlier that night.

Well things just got interesting. Who was this guy anyway? And why had he climbed over the gate instead of waiting for it to open?

Using the force I channeled in on their conversation.

"I am called Strider," the man said. Interesting wording there, I noted to myself, that's what you're called but that's probably not your real name. "I am very pleased to meet you, Master Underhill, if old Butterbur got you name correct."

"He did," Frodo responded.

"Well, Master Underhill," Strider continued. "if I were you, I would stop your young friends from talking too much. Drink, fire, and chance-meeting are pleasant enough, but, well – this isn't the Shire. There are queer folk about. Though I say it as shouldn't, you may think. And there have been even stranger travelers through Bree lately."

A few seconds later, Frodo appeared to be both alarmed and annoyed, with his gaze on Pippin. Pippin had apparently finished his earlier story and had begun another one though I couldn't tell why Frodo was alarmed by it. It was about a birthday party for pity sake.

Anyway Frodo decided it was necessary to interrupt him and began singing a song which I will not repeat because it made no sense and its content has nothing to do with the story.

They all cheered when he had finished, gave him another drink and had him sing it again, but this time others joined in. When he came to the line _the cow jumped over the moon_ he jumped into the air and came crashing down on a tray of mugs. Split second before it happened I realized that the ring was slipping on to Frodo's finger and used the force to make the mess fall in such a way that even if he wasn't wearing the ring nobody would have seen him.

Once again I saw Frodo only as a shiny form as he crawled under the tables towards Strider, for some reason, and leaning against a wall slid the ring off. I wasn't sure why but I sensed that I could trust this mysterious Strider person, at least for now, and turned my attention back to the rest of the group.

They were all in an up-roar, arguing about what had happened. Finally, Frodo joined the conversation and tried to convince them that he had just rushed under the table after he had crashed down. They weren't all convinced but for the most part they seemed to accept that story.

Finally, after a while they all started to leave the room and when they were all gone Frodo apologized to Barliman for the disturbance and the three hobbits also left.

While Barliman was distracted by something on the other side of the room I slipped out of the room headed back to our rooms unnoticed trying to think of the best way to get it through those hobbits' heads that they don't stop acting like idiots they are going to get themselves killed.

_**So what do you think? Please review and tell me. The Hobbit and jj12 thank you for your support I really appreciate it.**_


	6. Our New Companion

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC and story changes.**_

Chapter Five: Our New Companion

As I arrived at the room I found Strider and the hobbits in the middle of a conversation. I slipped in unnoticed.

"You said I might hear something to my advantage, I believe," Frodo was saying. "What have you to say?"

"Several things," Strider answered. "But of course I have my price."

"What do you mean?" Frodo asked him, rather sharply.

"Don't be alarmed!" Strider said. "I mean just this: I will tell you what I know, and give you good advice – but I shall want a reward."

"And what will that be, pray?" Frodo asked.

"No more than you can afford," strider said. "Just this: you must take me along with you, until I wish to leave you."

I was about to stop this then and there but thankfully Frodo had come to his senses and said something practical. "Oh, indeed!" he replied, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Even if I wanted another companion, I would not agree to anything until I know more about you and your business."

Their conversation went on and suddenly Barliman came in and gave Frodo a letter. He seemed awful nervous about it. After he left Frodo seemed greatly troubled by whatever was in the letter. On the way out he nearly ran into me, thus giving away my position, but I had learned all I was going to about this Strider figure for now.

"And who are you?" Strider asked me a hint of surprise and suspicion in his voice. It was hard to tell, but he may have noticed me in the main room earlier.

"Oh, she's with us," Pippin told him. He was definitely surprised by the "she", so I removed my hood confirming to him that yes I was a girl. What was with this place and girls, I wondered to myself.

"Well?" Strider said. "When are you going to open that letter?" Frodo glanced back down at letter and then at me. I motioned towards the letter. Frodo sighed and opened it up.

Frodo read the letter and then passed it to Pippin and Sam. Merry I might add was nowhere to be found. "Really old Butterbur has made a mess of things!" Frodo exclaimed. "He deserves a roasting. If I had got this at once we all might have been safe in Rivendell by now. But what might have happened to Gandalf? He writes as if he was in great danger."

Now I really wanted to know what was going on. "What the blazes does it say?" I asked and Sam handed the letter to me. It read

_Dear Frodo,_

_ Bad news has reached me here. I must go off at once. You had better leave Bag End soon, and get out of the Shire before the end of July at the latest. I will return as soon as I can: and I will follow you, if I find that you're gone. Leave a message for me here, if you pass through Bree. You can trust the landlord(Butterbur). You may meet a friend of mine on the road: a Man, lean, dark, tall, by some called Strider. He knows our business and will help you. Make for Rivendell. There I hope we may meet again. If I do not come, Elrond will advise you._

_ Yours in haste_

_ Gandalf._

_ PS. Do not use It again, not for any reason whatever! Do not travel by night!_

_ PPS. Make sure that it is the real Strider. There are many strange men on the roads. His true name is Aragon._

_ All that is gold does not glitter,_

_ Not all those who wander are lost;_

_ The old that is strong does not wither,_

_ Deep roots are not touched by frost._

_ From the ashes a fire shall be woken,_

_ A light from the shadows shall spring;_

_ Renewed shall be blade that was broken,_

_ The crownless again shall be king._

_ PPPS. I hope Butterbur sends this promptly. A worthy man, but his memory is like a lumber-room: thing wanted always buried. If he forgets, I shall roast him._

_ Fare Well!_

"And what month is it now?" I asked finishing the letter.

"It's almost October," Pippin told me. I then seriously wanted to bang my head against the wall. Why did things keep getting worse?

"Why didn't you tell me that you were Gandalf's friend at once?" Frodo asked. "It would have saved time."

"Would it? Would any of you have believed me till now?" I had to admit that I would not have believed him and I doubted the others would have either. "I knew nothing of this letter. For all I knew I had to persuade you without proofs, if I was to help you. In any case, I did not intend to tell you all about myself at once. I had to study you first, and make sure of you. The Enemy has set traps for me before now. As soon as I had made up my mind, I was ready to tell you what ever you asked. But I must admit that I hoped you would take me for my own sake. A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship. But there, I believe my looks are against me." He said this with small laugh.

"They are," Pippin said laughing. "At first sight at least. But handsome is as handsome does, as we say in the Shire; and I daresay we shall look much the same after lying for days in hedges and ditches."

"It would take more than a few days, or weeks, or years of wandering the wild to make you look like Strider," He told us. "And you would die first, unless you are made of sterner stuff than you appear to be."

I searched his force aura for any sign. When I found none, I mentally made a sigh of relief. From what I could tell from the others, Pippin and Frodo were also convinced, but Sam however was still doubtful.

"How do we know you are the real Strider that Gandalf speaks about?" Sam suddenly asked. "You never mentioned Gandalf, till this letter came out. You might be a play –acting spy, for all I can see, trying to get us to go with you. You might have done in a real Strider and took his clothes. What have you to say to that?"

"You are a stout fellow," Strider told him, "but I am afraid my only answer to you, Sam Gamgee, is this. If I had killed the real strider, I could kill you. And I should have killed you already without so much talk. If I was after the Ring, I could have it – Now!"

With that he stood up and grabbed the hilt of his sword. I merely giggled as the hobbits started to cower back. I already believed him, and I knew he was doing this do convince Sam, but that didn't stop me. I stuck out my hand and his sword, well part of it at least, flew into my hand.

I look of utter surprise covered Strider's face; apparently he was not expecting that, he probably wasn't expecting me to do anything. That caused me to laugh even harder, but I kept in under control.

"With what?" I asked. "You planning on threating us with a broken sword? Seriously?"

He looked at me with a look of frustration. "Look, I believe you," I told him. "But just so that everyone in this room can be at least somewhat convinced," I looked pointedly at Sam. "What is your real name?"

"I am Aragorn son of Arathron," he said, "And if by life or death I can save you I will." Heroics, I thought to myself mentally rolling my eyes.

"I believed you that were a friend before the letter came," Frodo said after a minute, "or at least I wished to. You have frightened me several times tonight, but never in the way that servants of the Enemy would or so I imagine. I think one of his spies would… well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand."

"I see," Strider said smiling. "I look foul and feel fair. Is that it?"

"Basically," I said. I love making things so undramatic.

I was still holding his broken sword so I tossed it back to him. "No much use is it, Sam?" Strider said showing it to Sam, before putting it away. "But the time is near when it shall be forged anew."

Sam said nothing.

"Well," Strider continued, "with Sam's permission we will call that settled. Strider shall be your guide. We shall have a rough road tomorrow. Even if we are allowed to leave Bree unhindered, we can hardly hope to leave unnoticed. But I will try to get as lost as possible. I know one or two ways out of Bree-land other than the main road. Once we shake off pursuit, I shall make for Weathertop."

"Weathertop," I asked. "What's that?"

"It is a hill, just north of the road, about half way to Rivendell. It commands a wide view all the way around, and there we shall have a chance to look about us. Gandalf will make for that point, if he follows us. After Weathertop our journey will become more difficult, and we shall have to choose between various dangers."

I nodded to myself that made sense. I didn't know anything about this place so I decided to trust Strider on this one.

"When did you last see Gandalf?" Frodo asked. "Do you know where he is, or what he is doing?"

Strider suddenly looked serious, and told us that he did not know where Gandalf was or what h was doing. Apparently, Gandalf had been reported missing. I had still not met this remarkable person, who seemed to hold all of their respect.

"Do you think the Black Riders have anything to do with this – with Gandalf's absence, I mean?" asked Frodo.

"I do not know anything else that could have hindered him, except the Enemy himself," Strider told us. "But do not give up hope! Gandalf is greater than you Shire-folk know. As a rule you can only see his jokes and toys. But this business of ours will be his greatest task."

Pippin tried to stifle a yawn. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I am dead tired. In spite of all the danger and worry I must go to bed, or sleep where I sit. Where is Merry? It would be the last straw if we had to go look in the dark for him."

Luckily we did not have to go find Merry, because a moment later Merry came rushing in closing the door behind him, completely out of breath. Nob was right behind him looking concerned.

"What in the world happen?" I asked recovering from my momentary surprise.

"I've seen them!" He said before even catching his breath. "I have seen them! The Black Riders!"

"Black Riders!" Frodo exclaimed. "Where?"

"Here. In the village. I stayed indoors for an hour. Then as you did not come back, I went out for a stroll. I had come back again and I was just outside the light of the lamp looking at the stars. Suddenly I shivered and felt that something horrible was creeping near. There was a sort of deeper shade among the shadows across the road, just beyond the edge of the lamplight. It slid away at once into the dark without a sound. There was no horse."

"Which way did it go?" asked Strider. Merry looked at him in surprise, noticing him for the first time.

"Keep going," I said, noticing Merry's hesitation.

"This is a friend of Gandalf's," Frodo told him. "I'll explain later."

Merry nodded and continued. "It seemed to make off up the road, eastward. I tried to follow. But then, it vanished almost at once. I went around the corner and on as far as the last house on the road."

"You have a stout heart," Strider told Merry, "but it was foolish."

"I don't think it was either brave or silly," Merry said. "I could hardly help myself. I seemed to be drawn somehow. Anyway, I followed, and suddenly I heard voices by the hedge. One was muttering, and the other was whispering or hissing. I couldn't hear a word that was said. I did not creep any closer, because I began to tremble all over. Then I felt terrified and turned back and I was going to bolt back here but I … I fell over."

"I found him, sir," Nob said, "Mr. Butterbur sent me out with a lantern. I went down to the South-gate and to the North-gate. Just nigh of Bill Ferny's house I thought I saw something in the road. I couldn't swear it but it looked like two tall figures were standing over something, lifting. I gave a shout, but when I got to the spot there was no sign of them, only Mr. Brandybuck lying by the roadside. He seemed to be asleep. 'I thought I had fallen into deep water,' he says to me, when I shook him. Very queer he was, and as soon as I had roused him, he got up and ran back here like a hare."

"I'm afraid that's true," Merry told us, "though I don't know what I said. I had an ugly dream that I can't remember. I went to pieces. I don't know what came over me."

"I do," Strider said. "The Black Breath. The Riders must have left their horses outside, and passed through the South-gate in secret. They will know all the news now, for they have visited Bill Ferny. That Southerner was probably a spy as well. Something may happen tonight, before we leave Bree."

"So are the Black Riders like the equivalent of Sith Lords in this world," I asked, and then realized how stupid my question was because they probably had no idea what the force was much less a Sith.

My thoughts were confirmed when Strider looked at me quizzically and asked me what a Sith Lord was.

"Never mind," I told them.

We ended up staying in the room the called a parlor, because staying in separate rooms with a bunch of window was probably not a good idea. I could see about a million reasons why that would be a bad idea. I flopped myself down on a couch while Frodo told Merry what had happened and went to sleep.

_**I am sorry if my quoting the characters almost word for word is annoying, there will be less of that as the story continues and Neka starts to actually change things more. Please review and thank you to the people who keep reviewing.**_


	7. From Bree to Weathertop

_**Sorry this update is a week late. see had had the first few chapters prewritten before posting but I went through those so updates may take a bit longer.**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but my OC and story changes. **_

Chapter Six: From Bree to Weathertop

I woke up the next morning to Strider opening the window. A cold rush of wind blew into the room. I sighed and then without even thinking about it rolled off the couch, startling Strider.

"Are you all right?" he asked me as I stood up.

"I'm fine," I told him, laughing. "I've been doing that for years, it's basically habit now. Sorry for startling you though."

"I didn't know you were up," he said.

"Oh I just woke up," I said smiling and through the blanket back on the couch. "Are we leaving soon?"

"Well we need to get the hobbits up first"

"I'm already up," Frodo mumbled.

"I'll wake the others up," I volunteered. No one argued to I walked over to the closest hobbit, Pippin. "It's time to wake up," I said, shaking him. Pippin mumbled something inaudible and rolled over. "Pippin get up, I know you're awake." Pippin didn't move. "If you don't get up I will pour a glass of ice water on your head."

Pippin opened his eyes. "You don't have any ice water," he told me closing his eyes. I grinned, picked up a glass from across the room using the force, grabbed it, and dumped it on his face. Pippin shrieked in surprise and surprise got out of bed. The other two were much easier to convince to get up, not wanting me to repeat to them what I did to Pippin.

The rooms we would have slept in were a disaster. The windows were forced open, blankets and the rug were in pieces, and the beds were tipped over. Strider went to get Butterbur at once.

"Never has such a thing happened in my time!" he cried in horror when he saw what had happened. "Guests unable to sleep in their beds, and good bolsters ruined! What are we coming to?"

"Dark times," Strider told him. "But for the present you may be left in peace, when you have got rid of us. We will leave at once. Never mind about breakfast. A drink and a bite standing will do. We shall be packed in a few minutes."

Butterbur nodded and hurried out of the room. Minutes later he came back in dismay.

"The ponies are gone!" he exclaimed. "All of them!"

"What?!" Was Pippin's response. Frodo looked crestfallen.

"Good grief," I said, exasperated. "You cannot be serious."

"I'm afraid it's true," Butterbur said.

"Ponies would not help us escape horsemen," Strider broke in. "We should not go much slower on foot, not by the roads I mean to take. I was going to walk in any case. It is the food and stores that trouble me. We cannot count on getting anything to eat between here and Rivendell, except what we take with us. And we ought to take plenty to spare, for we may be delayed, or forced to go round-about, far out of the direct way. How much are you prepared to carry on your backs?"

"As much as we must," Pippin said.

"I can carry enough for two," Sam said defiantly.

"Can't anything be done?" Frodo asked almost desperately. "Can't we get a couple ponies from the village? I suppose we couldn't hire any but we might be able to buy one, just for the baggage."

"I doubt it," he told us. "The two or three riding ponies that were in Bree were stabled in my yard, and their gone. As for the other animals, horses or ponies for draught or not, there are very few in Bree, and they won't be for sale. But I'll do what I can. I'll send Bob around as soon as can be."

"Yes," Strider said reluctantly, "you had better do that. I am afraid we shall have to try and get at least one pony. But so ends all hope of leaving early, and slipping away quietly. We might as well have blown a horn to announce our departure. That was part of the plan no doubt."

"There is one crumb of comfort," said Merry, "and more than a crumb, I hope. We can have breakfast while we wait, and sit down to it. Let's get a hold of Nob!" The four hobbits cheered at the mention of food and hurried out of the room to find Nob.

I let out a small laugh. "Hobbits," I said, "always thinking about their stomach."

"Indeed," Strider responded.

… Page Break …

It was at least three hours before we were able to leave and the only pony we were able to get was a poor, bony, dispirited creature. To make matters worse it seemed as though the entire town and the surrounding countryside had come out to watch us leave, so much for leaving unnoticed. The people seemed to hold Strider in a sort of awe or even fear, and the ones he stared at would shut up and scurry away.

When we got to the end of the village there was one last dejected looking house, behind a thick hedge. A man was staring at us from behind the hedge, his head sticking out just above it. His mouth was curled up in a sneer and his face was all together, in my opinion, annoying.

"Morning, Longshanks!" he said. "Off early? Found some friends at last?" Strider nodded, and I was caught between glaring at him and just ignoring him.

"Morning, my little friends," he said to the hobbits. "I suppose you know who you've taken up with? That's Stick-at-naught Strider, that is! Though I've heard other names less pretty. Watch out tonight! And you, Sammie, don't go ill-treating my old poor pony!" I raised an eyebrow at this. If anyone mistreated the pony it was him. He then turned to me. "And you little girl don't get into things out of your reach, you should be at home tending your house or are you a runaway?"

Sam turned toward him quickly. "And you, Ferny," he said, "put your ugly face out of sight, or it will get hurt." Sam then suddenly threw the apple he was eating and it hit Bill Ferny right on his nose knocking him over. "Waste of a good apple," Sam said, "but I wouldn't have him insulting a lady."

I laughed. "Well I appreciate the thought," I told him.

… Page Break …

We had to stay on the road for a good while before Strider decided to lead us off into the woods. There was a small narrow path leading off the road towards the north.

"This is where we leave the open and take cover," Strider told us.

"Not a _short-cut_, I hope," Pippin said. "Our last short cut through woods nearly ended in disaster."

"Ah, but you had not got me then with you then," Strider responded laughing.

"I do not remember this adventure," I said. "When did this happen?"

"While we were still in the Shire," Sam told me. "We hadn't met you yet."

"Well," Strider said, leading us down the trail. "My cuts, short or long, don't go wrong."

"Great," I said, in mock exasperation. "You just jinxed yourself."

The next few days went by without anything exciting happening. The first day we twisted and back tracked and such to keep any possible pursuit off our trail, but after that we went on a relatively straight path through the woods, staying away from the main road of course. It was actually somewhat relaxing for me, not being in or planning for a battle for several days had been a nice change.

Our nice stroll through the woods though was too good to last for long. By the end of our third day from Bree we had hit what Strider called the Midgewater Marshes. We were ok at first but as we got farther in it got worse and worse. We had to slowly work our way along and were constantly swarmed by flies and midges. There was little that could be done to avoid them though I did use the force to an extant to keep some of them away, not all. I had been through worse though so I didn't complain, unlike the hobbits. I think the most annoying thing those two days was the hobbits' constant complaining.

They frequently said things like, "I am being eaten alive!" or "What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?" or "Midgewater! There are more midges than water!"

Needless to say none of us got much sleep.

Our last night in the marshes we saw a bright light in the distance around one or two in the morning. The hobbits had managed to fall asleep, except for Frodo, and Strider seemed to always be awake.

"What's that?" Frodo asked pointing to it.

"I do not know," Strider said. "It's too far away to make out. It looks like lighting leaping off the hill tops."

" Or several space craft taking off," I added.

"Several what?" Frodo asked confused.

"Sorry," I said. "I keep forgetting you don't know what that stuff is, and you would probably never understand even if I explained it to you."

"Oh," Frodo said, laying back down.

On our fifth day from Bree, we finally left the marshes behind. There was a slight incline in the path, but that was basically it. In the distance we could see a line of hills.

Strider pointed to the tallest one, which was set off a little from the others. "That is Weathertop," He told us. "The Old Road, which is now far to our right, passes south of it not far from its foot. We might reach it by noon tomorrow, if we head straight towards it. I suppose we had better do so."

"What do you mean?" Frodo asked.

"I mean, that when we do get there, it is not certain what we shall find. It is close to the Road," Strider said.

"But surely we were hoping to find Gandalf there?"

"Yes, but the hope is faint. If he comes this way at all, h may not go through Bree, and so he may not know what we are doing. And anyway, unless by luck we arrive together, we shall miss one another. It is not safe to remain there long. If the Riders cannot find us in the wilderness they are likely to make for Weathertop themselves. It commands a wide view all around. Indeed, there are birds and beasts in this country that could see us as we stand here, from the hill top. Not all birds should be trusted and there are other spies much more evil."

I nodded mentally to myself, as I listened in on the conversation. Besides the part about the animals seeing us (I could not see how that was relevant), it made sense.

The rest of the day was terribly uneventful. We were able to get a decent amount of sleep, which had been impossible in the Marshes.

The next day was equally uneventful, but we were now less than a day away from Weathertop.

The next day, we followed a very well concealed path. It seemed to have been made for moving unseen from either side, but while on it, the path was clear enough. Of course if they had any aircraft in this world the concealment would be rendered useless, but they don't.

"I wonder who made this path, and what for," Merry said as we walked down the path. "I'm not I like it. It looks rather barrow-wightish. Is there any barrow on Weathertop?" he asked looking at me.

"How would I know?" I replied. "You know very well that I am not from here."

"There is no barrow on Weathertop, or on any of these hills," Strider said. "The Men of the West did not live here, but in their latter days they defended the hills for a while against Angmar. This path was made to serve the forts along the wall. But long before, in the first days of the North Kingdom, they built a great watch-tower on Weather top. They called it Amon Sul. It was burned and broken, and now nothing remains of it but a tumbled ring. Yet once it was tall and fair. It is told that Elendil stood there watching for the coming of Gil-galad out of the west, in the days of the Last Alliance."

"Who was Gil-galad?" Merry asked.

To our surprise it was not Strider who answered, but Sam.

_Gil-galad was an Elven-king._

_ Of him the harpers sadly sing:_

_ the last whose realm was fair and free_

_ between the Mountains and the Sea. _

_ His sword was long, his lance was keen,_

_ his shining helm afar was seen;_

_ the countless stars of heaven's field _

_ were mirrored in his silver shield. _

_ But long ago he rode away,_

_ and where he dwelleth none can say;_

_ for into darkness fell his star_

_ in Mordor were the shadows are._

"Don't stop!" Merry said.

"That's all I know," Sam said, blushing slightly. "I learned it form Mr. Bilbo when I was a lad. He used to tell me tales like that, knowing I was always one for hearing about Elves. It was Mr. Bilbo who taught me my letters. He was mighty book learned was dear old Mr. Bilbo. And he wrote poetry. He wrote what I have just said.

"He did not make it up," Strider said. "It is part of the lay that is call _The fall of Gil-galad_, which is in the ancient tongue. He must have translated it. I did not know that."

"There is a lot more," Sam said, "all about Mordor. I didn't learn that part, because it gave me the shivers. I never thought I should go there myself."

"Going to Mordor!" Pippin cried. "I hope it won't come to that!"

"Do not speak that name so loudly!" Strider warned.

"How about just no yelling in general," I put in.

We reached Weathertop at mid-day. But as we were crossing the Road to it, we saw a black horse coming down the path towards us.

_**Mahahaha, cliff hanger! If you want to wait less time for another chapter. Here's my advice: review. seriously it should work plus you make me really happy. Oh and there will be much more action in the next chapter, and possible sassiness from Neka, promise.**_


	8. Weathertop

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the awesomeness of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. But I do own my OC and story changes.**_

Chapter Seven: Weathertop

I looked at the horse for a few seconds and realized that one it had no rider, and two looked a lot healthier than the poor creatures the Black Riders rode.

"It's not a Black Rider," I told them, the hobbits let out a sigh of relief.

"I wonder who he belongs to," Strider said. "He doesn't appear to have a rider."

As the horse approached us she slowed down and walked over to me. I stroked it gently realizing who it was. "It's Midnight," I exclaimed. "She must have been searching for me."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Positive," I responded.

"You know this horse?" Strider asked.

I nodded. "Tom Bombadil gave her to me," I then turned back to Midnight. "Now where have you been?" Midnight snorted as if to say, looking for you.

We found a sheltered place on the side of the hill and hobbits started to set up camp.

"Why don't we have a look around while the hobbits set up camp," I suggested to Strider.

"I was planning on taking a couple of the hobbits with me or going up by myself," Strider responded.

"Really, I'm sure the hobbits can take care of themselves for an hour," I said. "Besides it will be faster if we just go and attract less attention. Also two sets of eyes will miss less than one."

"Fine," Strider said, he couldn't argue with logic. "I've been wanting to ask you a few questions anyways." We told the hobbits we'd be back in about an hour and to keep setting up camp.

The trail was a little rough, but nothing terribly challenging, and we reach the top in a little less than half an hour. I got a little bored on the way so I absentmindedly picked up a rock and started to "toss" it up into the air and catch it without even touching it. I had gotten into a habit of doing this over the past few days.

"Okay," Strider said. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked innocently, though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"That thing with the rock," Strider said. "Are you a sorceress or something?"

"No, I'm a Jedi, which means I can use the Force."

"The what?"

"The Force," I said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it is. "Wow you really don't know anything, do you?"

"I know plenty about this world, but little about you?" Strider said suspicion clear in his voice. "Gandalf never mention me to you."

"Well maybe that would be because I have never met this fabulous Gandalf, or because I have only been in this world for like ten days or a combination there of," I said, and then thought for a second. "You know I could say the same about you."

"What do you mean that you are not from this world?"

"Exactly what I said, do not ask me how I got here because quite honestly I have no idea. I flew through a giant ring and boom I'm in the Old Forest, as the hobbits called it."

"You can fly?"

I sighed. "In a spaceship or with a jetpack yes."

Strider looked even more confused, "What is a-," he began.

"Imagine a wagon," I said cutting him off. "That can move without anything pulling it, but instead has an engine in the front that moves it."

"I think I'm following you,"

"Now imagine making an airtight container on it that you can sit in and it can now fly, that is a spaceship."

"I think I lost you," Strider said. His face was priceless twisted up in confusion as he tried to imagine what I had just described to him.

"I told you before you wouldn't understand, and don't even ask about the jetpack. It is basically a backpack that instead of holding something allows you to fly when you wear it."

By then we had reached to top of Weathertop. As Strider had said, there was a ring of old crumbling stonework. In the center of the ring though there was a pile of rocks that were black and the surrounding grass was burned. It looked as if a fire had started on the hill top but had not spread. There was no sign of life anywhere.

I looked around; there was a wide view all around though there wasn't much to see. There were some patches of forest to the south, and in the far east I could make out a tall mountain range. There was no one on the Road, which stretched out like a long ribbon west to east.

"Well doesn't appear to be sign of anyone, including Gandalf," I said looking around.

"I wonder," Strider said. "Even if he was a day or two behind us at Bree, he could have arrived here first. He can ride very swiftly when need presses."

I spotted a white stone flatter than the others that seemed to have been unaffected by the fire. I reach down and picked it up, examining it. "This has been handled more recently than the fire," I said, handing the stone to Strider. "I can't make out what these marks mean though."

"The stroke on the left might be a G-rune with thin branches," Strider answered. "It might be a sign left by Gandalf though I cannot be sure. The scratches are fine, and they certainly look fresh. But the marks might mean something quite different, and have nothing to do with us. Rangers use runes, and they come here sometimes."

"Well if it is from Gandalf, what would it mean?" I said slightly exasperated.

"I would say that it stood for G3, and it would be a sign that Gandalf was here on October the third; that is three days ago now."

"It would also mean he was either in a hurry or danger was nearby or both, so he couldn't write something more clear for us to understand," I concluded.

"In that case we should be wary"

We looked around a little longer trying to see if we could find anything else of importance before we headed back down. We were about to leave when I notice a few black specks moving quickly almond the road and realized that we were in plain view.

"Get down," I hissed dropping behind a pile of rocks.

"Why?"

"Just do it." Strider, for once, actually listened to me and got down also and crawled over to me. He had a rather annoyed look on his face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Black Riders," I whispered. "I knew I had a bad feeling about this place."

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded and pointed to a crack in rocks I had been looking through. He looked through it and nodded agreement. "Yes, the enemy is here."

We quickly climbed back down the hill back to the hobbits.

When we got back to the dell the hobbits had set up camp and explored the surrounding slopes. They had found some fire wood, a small spring and signs of a hastily set up camp.

Strider was greatly interested by these findings. "I wish I had waited and explored the ground down here myself," he said hurrying off to examine the footprints. I followed closely behind.

"It just as I feared," he said examining the footprints. "The hobbits have trampled the soft ground and the marks are spoiled and confused." In the end we could only make out for sure that there had been one booted figure, though we suspected there had been quite a few booted feet.

The hobbits were dismayed by the finding. "Hadn't we better clear out quick, Mr. Strider?" Sam asked nervously. "It is getting late, and I don't like this hole; it makes my heart sink."

"Yes, we certainly must decide what to do at once," Strider responded looking around and probably calculating the time of day and weather. "Well, Sam," he said at last. "I do not like this place either, but I cannot think of anywhere better that we could reach before nightfall. At least we are out of sight for now and if we move we would most likely be seen by spies. All we could do is go North out of the way, where the land is all much the same as it is here. The Road is watched, but we would have to cross it to it, to take cover in the thickets to the south."

"Can the Riders _see_?" Merry asked. "I mean, they seem usually to have used their noses rather than their eyes, smelling for us, if smelling is the right word, at least in daylight. But now you talk of being seen, if we move."

"I was too careless on the hill-top," Strider said. "I was very anxious to find some sign of Gandalf, but it was a mistake to stand up there for so long, for the black horses can see, and the riders can use men and other creatures as spies, as we saw in Bree. They themselves do not see the world of light as we do, but our shapes cast shadows in their minds, which only noon sun destroys. In the dark they perceive many signs and forms that are hidden from us. Then they are most to be feared. And at times they smell the blood of living things, desiring it and hating it. Senses too there are other than sight and smell. We can feel their presence; it troubles our hearts, as soon as we came here, and before we saw them. They feel ours more keenly. Also the Ring draws them."

"Is there no escape?" Frodo said truly frightened. "If I move I shall be seen and hunted! If I stay, I shall draw them to me!"

"There is still hope," Strider said. "You are not alone. Let us take this wood that is set ready as a sign. There is little shelter or defiance here but fire will serve as both. Sauron can put fire to his evil uses, as can all things, but these Riders do not love it and fear those who wield it. Fire is our friend in the wilderness"

"Maybe," I said. "But it is also about the clearest sign we can give to say 'here we are'."

… Page Break …

As the darkness closed in we lit the fire and ate a small meal, but we didn't have much food and we need to save it because we would not be reaching Rivendell for at least another two weeks. To keep the hobbits' spirits up Strider told us a tale about elves.

As the story ended the moon was rising in the distance, as we looked up to see it though we noticed a dark form on top of the hill. Merry and Sam got up and walked away from the fire to get a better look.

I felt a cold sickening force approach not that different from what a Sith would give off (yes I have met both Count Duko and Ventress before, but that is a different story) and was about to call Sam and Merry back when the suddenly came running back to camp.

"I don't know what it is," Sam said breathlessly, "but I suddenly felt afraid. I durstn't go outside this dell for any money. I felt that something was creeping up the slope."

"Did you _see_ anything?" Frodo asked.

"No sir. I saw nothing, but I didn't stop to look."

"I saw something," Merry said, "or thought I did. Away westward where the moonlight was falling on the flats, I thought I saw two or three black shape moving this way."

"Keep close to the fire, with your faces outward!" Strider cried. "Get some long sticks ready in your hands."

Then we waited, nothing happened. We waited in absolute silence for the Riders to approach. We finally saw them standing on the slope "looking" down at us despite the fact that they were all black they gave off a soft silver glow, very much like how Frodo looked when he had worn the Ring, making them easy for me to make out.

Then they started approaching and everything went crazy. I drew my sword and when it accidently touched the fire it lit up as a stream of fire. Useful, I thought to myself, as I swung it as the nearest Rider and it backed up shrieking. The hobbits were terrified and Strider was fighting off two of the five at the moment.

Then Frodo put the Ring on and all the Riders gravitated towards him. I managed to stab my sword through one of them catching it on fire and it ran off shrieking. Unfortunately, my sword went out. Another Rider, who appeared to be the leader was about to stab Frodo with a knife I lunged out to stop him. I only manage to knock it slightly off its course, before having to fight off two other Riders who attacked me.

I heard Frodo cry out nearby and then my sword burst into flames again and Strider and I managed to fight of the remaining Black Riders.

For the first time I noticed that my left hand was felt like it was on fire. I looked down and saw a nasty cut on my wrist. The knife must have cut me when I was trying to deflect it I thought. It didn't look too deep though, so I figured it would heal in a few days.

_**Yah! More action! OK, so I will be updating on Sundays for now. I hope you liked this chapter. If you liked it please review. If you didn't like it review anyways. I love your reviews. ;)**_


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